That's where you're wrong
by drarrylicious
Summary: RPF AU Crisspez. The University of Michigan trembles in excitement when Darren Criss comes back after disappearing for a year. But things had changed, and he's not the only leader anymore. He challenges his best friend in what it seemed a fun bet: to get in Lauren Lopez's bed.
1. Strike One

**A/N: I truly don't know what I'm doing here anymore... This is just an attempt to what could possibly be my last crisspez. Let's cry forever.**

**It's an AU and my warning are the usuals: Swears, eventually sex scenes, probably violence, death? Idk I just wanna cover everything. And I'm sorry for the OoC, it's all for the sake of the story. Yknow they're all puppies in real life. Also, it is so cliché that I became everything I hate. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own the people or places mentioned. The title is an Arctic Monkey's song, and the story is somewhat losely based on Federico Moccia's novel Three steps above heaven.**

**Enjoy! - Natt**

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><p><strong>That's where you're wrong<strong>

**Chapter 1: Strike One**

Lauren didn't like distractions.

Whenever her mind settled up on an objective, short or long term; anything that diverted her from it was pointless bother.

That's why she closed the dorm's window when a herd of motorcycles started to mend close to her place. It was not a surprise- they disturbed the campus at the beginning of every year, before people complained with the executive committee and they had to limit their activities outside.

When the water heated up enough, she made herself a cup of tea. She glanced at the clock after drinking the first sip. Then she walked to the room next to hers, opening the door with a swipe.

"Thirty minutes!" Lauren warned, kind of upset her roommate was in such a heavily sleep. Mainly because she barely had gotten any herself. But her tone didn't have an effect, the girl didn't move a hair. She'd try again in ten minutes.

She finished her tea and put some concealer on the dark circles under her eyes. It wasn't magical, but at least it wasn't obvious she had been rolling on the bed until 4 in the morning. She left the empty cup and the makeup bag next to her notes on the table. Her second attempt to wake up her friend was in vain, too.

The herd of motorcycles went on a second round; and she frowned, annoyed, as she stood in front of the mirror and made a neat half tail with her hair. She wasn't full aware yet, it wasn't the mood she'd rather start classes with. She had already accomplished half of her career in the University of Michigan, but the second half was the most important, and the hardest. She had done it alright so far, but she definitely needed to get her crap together this year.

When the first class was ten minutes away, she grabbed her notes, and entered to the other room. She shamelessly turned the lights on, getting a howl as response.

"Are you stupid?!" Someone yelled at her with a hoarse _I-just-wake-up_ voice.

Something moved under the sheets, but it was hard to tell in which direction.

"Ten minutes, Caroline! See you there."

This was kind of the ritual of every year, too. If Lauren woke up ten minutes before class, you could be sure she'd never make it on time; but her roommate had this exceptional gift and she could always arrive to give her attendance.

While Lauren was walking down the stairs of their building, the guys on the bikes were still around. One of them passed dangerously close to her when she tried to walk through the road. She recognized him. It was Joe, one of the seniors of the same career as her, the drama major. He turned to the left and continued nonstop until one of the furthest points of the university, where he met his friends.

About four young men were enjoying the shade of the trees of that morning, sharing a bottle of beer to start the day (Some were both finishing it and starting it at the same time), and throwing a few meaningless conversations. Joe got off the bike, leaving it next to the rest; and a smile was drawn on his lips as he approached them.

"So, it's true then." He commented, first grabbing the glass of beer, and then stretching his other hand to a friend he knew very well, but hadn't seen in a long while. He still didn't know what to think about his appearance. The guy grabbed his hand and used it as a support to get up from the ground. "What brings you here again?"

Darren shrugged shortly. "Life." He grabbed the beer right from his hand before Joe had a chance to drink. He didn't realize, but that was annoying. He thought his return would be all about good news, especially when it came to Joe, one of his closest friends. "So, what did I miss?"

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><p>Lauren yawned once again while leafing through her notes. As soon as the teacher gave them the curriculum, she'd try to study in advance as much as she could. Study in advance was actually her best trick for conceptual notes. As much as the teacher said the most important grades were based on the exams, they always helped that student who knew the answer since the first class.<p>

She picked up the bag from the desk next to hers when Caroline arrived into the classroom. If someone else occupied that seat, she'd have to bring one from another class. The professor interrupted their speech for a few seconds, before realizing who it was. They've already had him on Mondays mornings last year.

"It's good to know you'll keep interrupting my classes this year, Miss Brown." The professor commented, and a low laugh echoed. Lauren didn't laugh.

"Thanks, honey." The girl whispered as she sat down. Her red hair was still messy and she seemed aroused. Lauren tried to ignore it and kept on taking notes from what the teacher was saying. But the peace didn't last long. She added quickly. "You won't believe what Julia told me in the hall."

Evidently, Caroline was waiting she asked what it was, but the fact that Lauren didn't do it wouldn't stop her.

"Remember that guy Darren Criss? He's back in Michigan. I guess he'll be in some of our classes."

"Mm, who?" Lauren didn't even look away from her notebook.

"Darren Criss." She repeated, frustrated at her friend's ignorance. "You can't not remember him!"

"Shhh." Lauren said, worried she was being too loud. "I'm pretty sure I don't know him."

"He was in our classes half of freshman year, but then he moved to San Francisco because he got a music contract. Hadn't you seen his music video?" Before Lauren even had time to think and say no, Caroline continued, barely taking a short breather. "Well, the thing is he came back! And he's kinda famous now, so that's that."

"Okay." She just replied, upset because she lost the track on the professor's discourse.

"Do you remember him now?"

"No. Why is it important?"

"Everyone's talking about it."

"So…?"

Caroline sighed, "I'm just trying to make our Monday a little interesting. Never mind. Do you have a pen? I forgot mine."

Lauren shook her head with a little grin on her lips; as she searched for the pen in her bag.

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><p>"So, to sum it up, Brian finally got his Harley, and…" Jeff explained, even though he was omitting to mention a very important matter. Brian's chest inflated proudly. "I got rid off my acne, too. So we're even." He joked.<p>

Darren noted that they were hiding something. He wasn't totally catching up. But he didn't try to force it to come out.

"How did you get the money for your Harley, Brian?" Darren asked, despite he didn't really pay attention to his explanations. Something about a garage, and his father. Meanwhile, someone else arrived. He put his Harley with theirs, but Darren was sure he hadn't seen him before. "Who's this guy?" He asked.

"That's Richard." Brian said. "He's only a sophomore but he throws these amazing parties at his house, and he's been following us for like two months last year so Joe decided to give him a shot."

"Hey, Richard!" Darren called. The thin, tall brunette looked at him with a frown; taking a few seconds to recognize him. "I'm Darren." He introduced, offering his hand.

"Yeah, I've heard about you. What brings you back to Michigan?" he politely said as he shook it.

The question of the year. Darren giggled shortly.

"Michigan has the best parties. Go Blue." He turned around before Richard had time to say something else. "Hey, guys, what is Devin up to?" He continued abruptly, as if a struck just hit him. He had been remembering her on and off since he took the decision to go back to Michigan.

There was an awful, eternal silence after that question. It seemed as if nobody had the courage to answer. Darren had dated Devin since the second week in college and they hadn't spent half minute away until he moved out. They were absolutely in love- and by that I mean as much in love as two freshmen in college with a dozen of exams and free bar every weekend fifteen minutes away could be. But they did date, and that was the issue.

"A lot of things happened, Darren." Joe finally said, kinda bitter, kinda ashamed. He thought they wouldn't have to touch the Devin subject until… a long later. What was he supposed to say? Darren wasn't supposed to come back. "You left."

"What does that mean?" Not even a fly dared to buzz, and the silence pissed him off more. "What the fuck?!"

It couldn't be what his instincts were telling him. He walked to Joe, dangerously close, with his eyebrows up. Joe was looking down at first, but then he took a long breath, and stared back, defiantly. Darren tried to decode the meaning of it, and the word _war _kept echoing distantly in his head.

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><p>The rest of the classes were okay (As okay as a Monday morning of the first day in the academy term could be), but that night when Caroline offered to make dinner, the thermostat remote started messing with them. After 15 minutes the entire apartment became so cold that Caroline was walking around the house with a blanket. Lauren gave up on trying to understand the instructions and said she was going to Administration and see if she could get a new remote. Luckily, it wasn't that far and it was no big deal to get there.<p>

Outside of the Administration Department there was a guy crouched under a motorbike (by what Lauren could tell) trying to fix it or something; he had a gripper or a tool that looked like it. He didn't notice her as she passed by. She sat down in the reception to wait; she could see through the transparent wall that there was someone else inside.

The waiting wasn't peaceful either. On that instant, the guy outside started his motorbike, but didn't go away. It seemed as if he was trying to test it, but couldn't he do that somewhere else? She tried to ignore but he wouldn't stop after like tree minutes, it was very annoying. She finally walked out of the reception again.

"Excuse me!" Lauren yelled, trying to make herself heard above the sound of that engine. "You, bike guy!" She said doubtful, not knowing how to call him. "There's people trying to talk in here!" He didn't need to know she was just waiting.

"What?"

He only understood what she was trying to say after a while, but he sat down from his position to look at her. It was just then, when the light of the lamppost lit his face that she realized who it was. Some dark curls fell onto his forehead and his face was a little sweaty. She did remember him! The memories were vague, but basically, yeah, as Caroline said, he attended to their career for a few months and he was part of Joe Walker's group, despite being younger. She had always thought they were nothing but a pair of lazy idiots, and couldn't care about them less.

"You're making a lot of noise and the walls here are thin. Please, go somewhere else." The fact that she said please didn't make her petition more polite or less cheeky.

"The campus is mine as it yours, and I want to make noise with my bike _here._ I'm sorry, babe." His tone was so fake he didn't even seem to try.

Lauren frowned, not only mad at his reply but also the way he said it. Not only that, then he grabbed the handlebars, started the bike and sped up, without moving from its place. It was a very loud racket.

Lauren was offended that he wouldn't even let her reply. That was so disrespectful. She walked right to him. "Can you not?!"

Darren stopped the bike almost right away this time, and looked at her again. He wanted to laugh, but he held it.

Maybe it was curiosity, on first instance, what allured him about her.

"I'm not in a position in which I'd like to waste time." He muttered seriously.

"Great, because my hobbie is to come here every night and let everyone just walk over me." Lauren added sarcastically.

"You have a point there. I'll let you that one." Darren shrugged, deciding that was fair. "Look, I'd go somewhere else, but I happen to be new here and I don't know the place. Would you show me around?"

Lauren didn't have to be very smart to realize there was a second intention under that suggestion. He was trying to fool her; and it'd insult her that he forgot that they knew each other, if it wasn't because she forgot about him first.

"You're _new_?" She tilted her head in disbelief.

"Yeah, why are you looking at me like that?"

"That's the way I look at liars, Criss." She said disapprovingly.

Darren frowned. "That's weird." He shook his head. "I think I'd remember you if I had seen you before."

He checked her out from head to toes, as in slow motion, after saying that.

"Hey!" Lauren complained, this time totally upset.

"Sorry. That's the way I look at hot girls, darling." He mimicked her with a prude grin.

Lauren snorted. She was _so_ out of that conversation, and the rage was settled in her stomach so hard that she walked directly to the room again. Darren didn't take a long time before he started focusing in the bike again. She was upset for allowing him to upset her; if that made sense. He was an idiot, better to stay out of his way until he decided again he was so much better than this university.

Caroline almost screamed when she saw her entering again. She had made a shelter out of blankets. It was freaking freezing in there.

"So? Did you get the remote?" She asked anxiously.

Lauren felt she should stab herself of embarrassment in that moment.

"Fuckkkk. The remote!" She cried.

Caroline was kind of astonished. Lauren isn't the kind of person who forgets things on a daily basis.


	2. The bet

**A/N: Hoping this doesn't turn into a disaster this soon. **

**Thanks for the feedback (This is a lie. 30 visitors and 1 review? you suck. thnx Sarah though) **

**But seriously, thoughts? - Natt**

**Warning: Mentions of sex. **

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: The bet<strong>

The first week was a fair sampling of what that year would be like. By Friday, Lauren had an entire one page list of books to retire from the library, and what it seemed like a not-very-fun weekend ahead. Plus, Mrs. Wood, the professor of Dramaturgy, announced an optional project in which she'd give a prize by the end of the year to the essay she thought deserved it the most; topic free to pick under the history of dramaturgy. As soon as the words _extra credit _were mentioned, she was in. She knew she had one long year to work on it, but the sooner she could choose a theme she liked, the best.

So when that Friday afternoon she headed to the University's library, she thought she was going to enjoy a peaceful time alone, in silence. It seemed almost as if she was prophesying a catastrophe. Lauren walked to the reception to search for the books on her list in the archive, but meanwhile she heard a pair of voices that were particularly loud and indiscrete to be in that place.

She glanced quickly towards the studying zone (Not only it was close to a coffee machine, but it was the only part of the library with decent chairs), and she confirmed her suspicions. Joe Walker's group was in there, talking and –as far as she noticed- no one didn't even hold a pen. Didn't they have somewhere else to go to waste their time?

What was truly kind of freaking her out was that guy Darren Criss, who was in there, too. And this wasn't for no reason. She couldn't get out of her mind something she heard that Tuesday, the day after they had that unpleasant encounter outside of the Administration Department.

It was all an unfortunate coincidence. She was going to the store to get something for dinner, when she saw two guys involved in what it seemed a fight, or a really uptight discussion; pretty close to the entrance of the campus, near a corner. She didn't recognize them at first, and afraid they weren't students, she quickly stepped back and waited a little while where they couldn't see her. It wasn't her intention to hear what they were saying at all, but then she realized they were Joe Walker and someone else- probably that guy Brian Holden.

"I tell you, I have no fucking clue who it is, but when I find out…"

"We're going to find out, Joe, _we're going_." Brian assured, but his tone sounded sort of nervous. "You know they can't get away with something like that, not with us."

"Who could've fucking done that?!" Joe sounded really pissed off. "Why? I bet it must be one of those jilted guys from Minnesota. Those idiots have hated us as long as I can remember."

"We'll find out after we report it… it's a crime!"

"No!" It seemed as if Brian wanted to help, but he couldn't get it right. "We can't report it! Under any condition, Brian. The police station in charge of this zone wants to see me dead after what happened last year. Remember? They'll work against us and I'll never get my bike back again." Joe snorted abruptly. "I can't believe they did this."

"They'll pay. Whoever did it. We'll find out."

"You can be fucking sure I will." Joe finished off as he walked away, passing dangerously near Lauren, but without turning back or even perceiving her existence.

Lauren waited a few seconds before turning around the block. Brian was nowhere to be seen by then. She continued her walk to the grocery store, but a knot was terribly adjusting around her neck, and she couldn't get that conversation of her mind. Neither she could then, neither she could in the entire week.

Something stopped her from telling people about it. She almost confessed it to Caroline like a dozen of times, but she finally swallowed her words back in. Maybe it was just that she wasn't sure what she heard or what it meant, or maybe she was just trying to make herself the less involved on the matter as she could. But how could she ignore such event?

Everything was indicating that it was Darren Criss the guy who stole Joe's motorbike. Everything. When Lauren saw him, he was fixing it in a very particular place. He couldn't turn it on, or make it move, or something. And he said he wouldn't like to waste time. And the next day, that guy's bike mysteriously disappeared? It had to be him.

What confused her was that they appeared to be friends. What if it was all a misunderstood? She didn't want to cause a mess. But a grand part of her was pleading her to say it, to please her necessity to do the right thing.

So that's why seeing them together at the library was freaking her out. She didn't yield though, she was determined to study in her usual spot. They couldn't handle a long time in that place whatsoever, right?

She didn't look around as she walked to an empty table. She knew that as soon as she gave them the chance they'd start to mess with her. And the distance was perfect because she couldn't hear what they were saying, despite they still were loud enough to bother her.

Darren wet his lips slowly as he leaned over a little bit, losing the track on the conversation. He did so much that he didn't even care to interrupt Jeff as he commented.

"Look who came."

Everyone's head turned into the direction in which Lauren had been walking without putting an effort to disguise it.

They did kinda have the intention to study, at first. It was Jeff's idea, and he texted Brian and Richard, whom he shared classes with, to work on an essay due next week; but it wasn't long until the word spread and Darren, Joe and Jim showed up too. The result was Richard working as if he had four hands, and everyone else making plans for that night. There was an illegal street bike race circuit that used to be very popular a few years back. Darren was disappointed to hear the police broke down the system and it was abandoned now. What were they supposed to the whole year?

"Lopez?" Brian said, surprised she got Darren's attention. "I haven't seen her outside of her dorm during these three years."

"Yeah, but look at her." Darren continued, absorbed.

She had a black tight little skirt, and a sort of transparent sky-blue blouse that outlined her torso. Her short brunette hair was falling onto her face, and she was continuingly putting it behind her ear. Her expression was absolutely focused on reading five different books at the same time, he couldn't see which books they were. Her feet was shaking in an anxious tick, and she wet her index finger with her tongue every once in a while to keep turning pages. She found her not absurdly pretty, but more as beautifully fascinating. Intriguing.

"Not bad." Joe added, shrugging. "I think I saw her with a guy, like, two years ago. Keaton S. something? From NYU?"

"Isn't he like 28?" Brian asked, curious.

Joe nodded. "She might not be what you think, bro. I wouldn't let that nerdy look carry me away."

Jeff winced. "I don't know, man. I say she has the V-card." He commented as if he truly knew what he was talking about.

"No, you guys don't get it." Brian said, frustrated. "I've been with a girl like her before. It's not the deal _if_ to have sex or not, it's _how_." He stood up, and even Richard stopped his writing to pay attention. Brian made a gesture as pretending he was fucking a girl from behind. "Okay," he indicated. Then he made like he was getting a blowjob. "Okay," Then he pretended to be on the missionary position on the table, almost throwing on the floor a pile of books. "NOT okay."

The boys found it hilarious. As they were laughing their asses off, Darren rested his back on the chair, still staring at Lauren.

"So? Which one is she?" Jeff asked.

Brian shrugged, still not getting up from the table. Instead, he called. "Hey, Lauren!"

The girl instinctively looked at them. Brian repeated the same inappropriate but shameless gesture; and they laughed again like if they've never heard something funnier. Lauren didn't give him more time to stand up and continue his performance. She turned her eyes away, holding her best resting-bitch-face while she closed her _Dramatic Criticism_ book, piled them all and grabbed all she could before taking off.

"You finished?" Darren asked, unamused.

"Don't be a hero, Darren." Joe said. "A girl like that would never pay attention to you."

"I'm sorry?" Not only he stole his ex-girlfriend, he also had the privilege to lecture him about dating now. "She'd choose me a million times before you."

Joe laughed, but it was pretty sarcastic. He noted the challenging tone on Darren's voice.

"Yeah, right."

"You'd have zero chances. She's not like…" He wanted to say Devin, but he didn't. "any of your girls."

"And what makes you think you could do any better than me?" Joe straightened his back on the chair

"Are you kidding me? I could get any girl, anywhere, anytime." His tone was smug, but he was a little annoyed now.

Joe raised his eyebrows. "Let's bet on it, then."

Darren wanted to smile. He had been so wishing for a moment like that. Joe as the only leader of the group was seriously boring, he needed to break the harmony once and for all.

"What's your statement?"

"The one that gets on Lopez's bed first, and is able to tell if she was a virgin or not, wins."

Darren's fingers were taping the table. He looked at Joe. "Wins what?"

"I would bet my bike, but see, that's a little bit problematic right now."

This time Darren couldn't help but to grin slightly. "I bet mine. If you win, which you won't, it's yours. But if I win, you're banned from having sex."

Joe laughed, and the rest quickly joined him. It was a good prize to pay though. "What?"

"If I win, you can't have sex with anyone from this university until you're out."

"No way." Joe refused. It was supposed to be his last year, but it still wasn't worth it.

"Scared?"

Darren knew that there was something they had in common, and it was that he couldn't say no to a challenge.

Joe stood up. "Fuck, let's do it."

Darren grinned. "Remember that the word spreads very quickly in here."

"It'll go even faster when I'll get your bike."

Darren stood up as well. "It's a bet." He whispered, as he shook Joe's hand.

The tension was almost touchable. Pretending it was as two years before was pointless. Things changed, and they both had done things that were absolutely ineffaceable by then.

"Wait, you're gonna try to sleep with Lauren?" Richard said. "What about Devin?"

Joe messed with Richard's hair, playfully, as he sat down again.

"You're still a noob, Rick."

Darren didn't sit down. He grabbed his keys and packet of cigarettes from the table.

"Taking off?" Brian asked.

"Rising early doesn't always help, dude." Joe messed with him. "Do you think you'll get her to sleep with you in a day?"

"A master never reveals his secrets, you should probably learn that." Darren put his things in the pocket of his hoodie and left.

He walked quickly down the stairs, looking around to see if he could find Lauren anywhere near. He didn't take too long, he spotted her inside of the Hard Rock Café, one of the most interesting places on the campus.

Darren walked inside and took a seat in front of her, at her table, without hesitating for one second. Lauren didn't close her book this time. She barely lift her gaze, but she closed her eyes for a second, sighing, wondering what on earth has she done to deserve this.

"What. Are you. Doing here?"

"I'm sorry." Darren said with a low, but honest tone. "My friends are assholes."

Lauren nodded. "True. I reject your apology, though."

A sight of a grin showed up on Darren's lips. "You reject it? Why?"

"Your friends are assholes. Therefore, you're an asshole by association."

Darren crossed his fingers and rested his elbows on the table, leaning a little bit forwards. "That's a pretty judgmental statement. You don't know me." His tone was soft.

Lauren put down her _Dramatic Criticism_ book, imitating his position.

"You were there while they were acting like jerks, and you didn't do anything. It makes you just as bad as them."

The waiter from Hard Rock thought it was a great moment to interrupt.

"What can I get you?" Nick said. Lauren knew him; he was a friend of Caroline and was on freshman year.

Darren and Lauren answered different things at the same time.

"Two coffees, please."

"Nothing, thanks." Lauren stared at him. "I'm leaving." She cleared.

"Let me make it up for what happened." Darren insisted. "Two coffees." He repeated to Nick, and he nodded, and proceeded to walk to the kitchen.

"It's not gonna make it up." Lauren shook her head. "The best you all can do is stay away from me. We don't like each other, so there's no reason to force this through awkwardness."

Darren arched his eyebrows, "_We_? You cleared up already why you don't like me, but I've never said_ I_ don't like _you_."

"You wouldn't like me if you knew what I know."

"What do you mean?"

Lauren whispered. "I know what you did." She wet her lips, but she didn't break the eye contact. "You stole Joe's bike."

Darren's face went blank for a few seconds. He looked astonished.

Nick thought this was also a great moment to bring their coffees to the table. Darren leaned back on the chair, kinda annoyed, both in silence, as he left.

"How do you know about…?" He turned his head to look around and make sure they were the only ones there.

"It was a matter of getting two pieces together, it's pretty obvious." She showed off, whilst it was a lie; but he didn't have to know she overheard a conversation.

"Well," he mumbled. "to be honest, you really don't know what you're saying. I'm giving Joe his bike back, eventually."

"Look, I don't know your intern group struggles, or what is going on with you two, but…" Lauren struggled to find the words. She didn't want to sound _so_ rude, but there was no other way to say it. "I'm gonna report you."

Darren limited himself to snort. "Are you a sneak?"

"What you did wasn't right, under any condition. I'm not going to be a complicit!" She complained. "So if you don't give it back soon, I'm gonna tell."

"You're also threatening me now?" He was close to being amused.

"Stop trying to make me sound like the bad one in here. I was just trying to study and get my shit done."

Darren glanced at her books, while he drank some of his coffee.

"Dickinson… Shakespeare… Something not less dramatic than yourself, I see." He joked, smirking.

Lauren frowned. "Excuse me?"

"What are you working on?" He tried to pass by that accusation.

"I gotta do a project about dramaturgy, and I know I'm gonna go for classic period drama, but I haven't choose the topic yet."

"Always go for Shakespeare." He recommended. "He saved my ass the last years."

"I'm not doing it just to save my ass." Lauren replied. "Besides, I don't wanna take the easy way."

"You're underestimating the beauty of simple things."

Lauren frowned, piling her books again. She had no idea what he was talking about, or what he was trying to do; and she didn't want to find out.

"Thanks for the coffee, but no thanks."

Darren folded the corner of his lips, defeated.

"Lauren." He dared to call before she left. She looked at him, but she already stood up. "You're not gonna give me away, no?"

"Yes." She just answered, determined, before turning away.

Strike two.

Darren watched her leave, and in that moment took the decision he was either changing that answer or changing the question.


	3. Improvise this

**A/N: Mehehehe we're going to start my fave part soon :3**

**Reviews are appreciated!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: Improvise this<strong>

For a motorbikes amateur, a repair shop is different than for any other people. What a regular person sees as a nasty, horrid work; is more as a secret garden to relax for a while. So it was no surprise that Darren had showed up at Richard's with a few beers to be some company that Sunday. It was more as a starter's pack than an official workplace. Darren could see now why he was so interested to be in the gang. Of course, if he had an interest to make a temporary job out of it, he should be in the circles where motorcycles are almost an accessory. He wasn't a Pimp my Ride professional, but he was learning to modify the sound of the bikes (Rule #1 The loudest the better), and making wheels look fancy; but (and that's what Darren was trying to assure him) what was going to bring him clients and a reputation was that he could make them go so much faster.

The repair shop was placed momentarily at Richard's garage, twenty minutes away from the campus, where he lived with his mother.

"But you'll make nothing out of this if the circuit is closed." Darren complained, kind of bitter, then drinking his beer.

He remembered all of those nights spent on racings, and beers, and weed. It was great. They even named it Michigan's Hole as an inside joke; but the word spread and everyone started to call it like that. There were gangs that came from Minnesota and New York to compete with them. His favorite competition were the brats of upper class of NYU, mainly because they thought their position gave them power and it was freaking great to see them lose. And he was one of the fastest. Joe sort of was, too, but Darren was better. And now that he didn't have a bike? He'd fight for one so hard, and, oh God, how could they close it? It'd have been the best.

Rick (As Darren started to call him) was working on something as Darren talked. He didn't get to know that place, but he commented casually.

"If you liked it so much, why don't you try to reopen it?"

That suggestion caught him instantly. He had to remain silence for a moment. Rick got up and walked to the other side of the garage to grab a tool, and Darren observed him.

"You know what? That's a fucking brilliant idea. I could open it." Darren had gotten a certain reputation and popularity, especially since he made a music video. It'd be a matter of moving some contacts, and to arrange the gambling industry, and that'd be it. It would actually be very helpful, having in mind the relationship with his parents wasn't currently the best and he could use some money. "I like you, Rick. You're smart." He added, now content.

The guy smirked, going back to work on the bike. He felt intimidated when he heard that this guy Darren was coming back. As if it hasn't been hard enough to be accepted in the group! Now he had to deal with getting along with the old (now) jealous hardass attempt. But they became friends very quickly, that Darren felt he was even closer to him than with his old buds.

Although it was awful when Darren tried to bring some obviously still hurtful subject. _"When did Joe exactly started dating Devin?" _followed by Rick's awkward _"Um…"_ pretending he didn't know the answer.

* * *

><p>Performance training class was the first one in Thursday. And it was one of the few Lauren and Caroline's group shared with Darren. Caroline made sure Lauren knew that, even after Lauren stated that she didn't like him at all after their unpleasant encounters. Caroline tried to excuse what she classified as a rude attitude by assuring that Lauren had never had sense of humor and he was probably just trying to make her like him.<p>

But despite sharing that class with someone that in Caroline's world counted as a mid-celebrity, this didn't stop her from arriving late.

Mr. Cameron, the professor of foresaid class was an anarchist 30-something man that always wore an Iron Maiden t-shirt and even though he never seemed to brush his hair and was to Lauren's eyes unprofessional and disorganized, he always came up with some clever activity that made them question whether he knew there was a curriculum to follow. He also insisted into they called him just Cameron but the Mr. always ended up naturally placing first in her mind.

When he said everyone look for a partner, Lauren looked instinctively at the door, waiting for Caroline to enter, but nothing yet.

It's not as if Lauren didn't have _any_ friends besides her. She was very close to Julia and Dylan, who were on their senior year, and were probably the greatest people she had ever met and the students she looked up to (Dylan was finishing his second career before turning 24 and Julia had been directing a dozen of plays by herself in the auditorium). She also kept in touch with her high school friends, those who Caroline liked to call The Plastics as in the Mean Girls movie, because (despite Lauren tried to make the eye blind to it) they liked elitist parties in which they could drink wine and judge people; which is not as bad as it sounds, Lauren thought. It's just that she particularly found troubling to make friends in _her_ classroom.

It took her a while to realize that Darren was across the room, sitting down, and as her, _not_ looking for a partner. If she didn't find one, she'd have to do the activity with him. It wasn't something she was craving for, having in mind they got along terribly. Her feet started to move in an anxious tick; and she turned to watch the door again, but Caroline was apparently skipping this class. She tried to make eye contact with someone in the same situation, but everyone seemed to have it all planed.

Maybe she could just ignore the whole thing and Mr. Cameron would assign her a trio.

"Lauren, are you waiting for an invitation or do you plan to pair up?" Another thing that characterized Mr. Cameron was that he called them all by their names. She'd have liked that he forgot hers just that time, though.

"I owe you the invitation for the next time." Darren muttered, smiling slightly. He had walked to the seat she didn't seem disposed to abandon in the near future.

She'd kill Caroline the second she had the chance.

Existent words couldn't describe how uncomfortable she felt. She wasn't terrible at improv, and she wasn't great neither; but it was just the fact that she had treated him badly and now she didn't know how she was supposed to act. Should she just ignore what happened and do the stupid exercise? It sounded the most professional thing to do, but easier said than done.

As Mr. Cameron explained the exercise, Lauren put her hands in the back pockets of her jeans and looked down, hearing carefully his words. Meanwhile Darren took off that leather jacket he wore every time one single cold wind toured the city, and hung it on the auditorium's rack.

The activity was a common game based on genre switching. They are given a location/situation and they start performing a "normal" scene, but after a certain period of time the dialogue and acting has to be adjusted to fit the genre or normativity the professor chooses in that moment. She has done it before, it wasn't very hard.

"It's 1981, and you're walking out of a concert. The relationship between your characters is free choice." Mr. Cameron ordered, and the class started right away.

Lauren shared a one-second glance with Darren, with the intention to decide which direction they were going to take, but her mind went blank. Darren was quicker though. He hit her on the arm with his fist, as if they were friends, but when he talked, he didn't say anything about the hypothetical concert.

"You could've at least had a sip of the coffee the other day, you know. They're not free." The expression of his face and his gestures had nothing to do with the words coming out of his mouth.

"What are you doing?" Lauren spat, too confused to follow him.

Then Darren let out a cackle as if she just said the funniest thing he ever heard.

"Just fucking follow the game." He said, smiling through the words that didn't match his face, and walking to the other side of the room, which was more desolated, but Lauren stayed still. He pointed at Cameron with his eyebrows, and Lauren realized she had no option but to do it so.

"I told you I had no interest in talking to you. I already know what I need to know about you." Lauren pretended they were having a nice friendly chat, which made the sarcasm on her voice twice stronger.

"You got me all figured out already, do you?" Darren kept walking slowly, as if they were heading somewhere. She was supposed to walk next to him.

"Pretty much."

Cameron started walking through the students, as if he had gotten into some kind of trance. He'd yell "Dystopia!" to a pair that'd have to start to either fight or cry hysterically, and murmur "watch out, she's a murderer!" if he felt like spicing things. He pictured himself as some artist painting a canvas, directing them in a harmony only he understood, although it always got to the point where the class was a mess of loud voices and disorganized scenes.

"So, who am I, exactly?" Darren asked, curious. He wasn't upset, he was instead entertained.

"You've graduated from high school mediocrely, by doing just what it was enough to pass and probably copying in most tests, thinking it was no big deal, because it's high school. Then you got into college, and it was terrible because doing what you think it's enough is never enough." Her tone was regular because they had to keep pretending to do the exercise. "You kept pretending it was all good, you know, wearing a leather jacket and riding that big bike and going to parties like it's all chill. But it wasn't, and you had to switch universities, and something happened and you're back again. So you keep trying to act like it's all chill and you're cool, to cover up the fact that you're a criminal and probably a psychopath or something."

Darren laughed, but this time it wasn't because of his character. "A criminal? You think I deserve to be in jail? With all the bad guys?"

Lauren stopped walking. She was pretty serious. "Everything points that you are one of them. I don't wanna be that person that makes you go to prison, I really don't. But I can't ignore what I know."

"What you think you know." Darren was serious too, staring back into her eyes, defiantly.

They couldn't tell whether it was fortunate or not that Cameron walked next to them in that moment, pointing at them with his index finger as if his muse struck him.

"Give me some romance, you two!" He shouted.

When Darren moved his face towards her, Lauren thought during one millisecond that there was a chance he was going to kiss her, and her blood froze. But he directed his lips to her ear instead, pretending he was saying something else. They had luck that the professor didn't walk close enough to realize that their conversation was absolutely inaccurate.

"It is really more complicated than what you think." His voice sounded different. Weird. Good weird, though. The intimacy was unexpected, so she couldn't help but to give one step back.

They were supposedly in love now.

She gave that step forward again, placing a hand on his shoulder. Delicate enough to be romantic, and it didn't involve a lot of physical contact.

"It's not an excuse. A thief is a thief."

It was the first time she saw such a judgmental look on his eyes. He shook it off quickly, though.

"You have no idea what you're talking about." His breath was warm, and she could feel it down her neck.

"I know the law."

Darren convinced himself that she didn't believe that. She couldn't. She was smart, he could tell by the little he knew her, that she wouldn't allow herself such simplistic thought.

"The world is so much more than a book saying what you're not supposed to do. And if you believed that, Lauren, we wouldn't be discussing this in the first place." And saying this he softly put a hand on her waist.

Lauren couldn't tell the moment when they moved so close as they were now, but she knew he could easily smell the essence of her hair from there and she didn't know why she was allowing it.

She didn't know what to reply to him, so she didn't say anything. She looked down to her fingers, still placed on his shoulder, near his neck bones, while his words echoed several times in her head.

Darren whispered again.

"Cameron is looking at us as if we were porn. If you wanna watch him lose his mind, we should kiss."

"What?" Lauren stepped back as if she was being suddenly electrocuted.

Darren raised his eyebrows, surprised by her reaction. He was kidding, it was obvious. "I was just saying-"

"Is that what this is all about?" She said loudly, scandalized, forgetting the exercise, and the class, and Cameron.

"I didn't-" Darren couldn't even try to explain himself.

"Get it into you head. It's not going to happen!" She burst out, upset, as she turned around, and grabbing her bag with a furious swap left the classroom. The nearest pairings stopped their improv to watch the scene.

Cameron went from being fantasized with one of his prodigy students to look at him, scandalized, in a matter of seconds. As some of his class mates were, too, judging him. As if… he had tried to do something…

"It was a joke…" He whispered, astonished, more to himself than to anyone else. Cameron started giving him a lecture about the limits of improvisation and respect to your mates, but Darren wasn't listening.

What just happened?

* * *

><p>"It seems that I've missed an intense class." Caroline commented, still in her pajamas while she was making coffee; her red hair still messy and her eyelids barely up.<p>

"That Darren Criss guy is going to make me go insane!" Lauren spat, still upset, as she threw her bag on the table. She sat down, annoyed, and let out a sigh.

Caroline stared at her with her eyebrows up, extremely surprised.

"What'd he do now?"

Lauren went on details about the incident at the performance training class, and by the end of her explanation, Caroline was even more confused.

"So… Did he try to kiss you?"

"Not exactly, but-"

"Did he touch you or did something inappropriate?"

"I didn't give him the time to do anything so..."

"And was he joking?"

Lauren was finding explaining the situation harder with every second.

"You had to be there to understand." Lauren sentenced.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "…Okay, miss _I've-spent-two-of-my-lives-overreacting_." And then she continued to drink her coffee.

It wasn't after fifteen minutes that the rage started to be replaced with embarrassment. At first she tried to shoo it away, listing in her mind the reasons why she had the right to act the way she did. But it didn't take long before she had rebutted herself her entire list. And swiftly, the shame was so powerful that it started to freak her out.

She had stolen half of Caroline's coffee, grabbed her books and went to her next class, and by midday; when she realized that she hadn't listened to a word from the professor, it hit her.

_She acted like a freak_. Point and new paragraph.

Darren had said a joke, and if she were as any other person, she'd have laughed and they would've continued with their lives. There was no reason to cause a scene.

"I've made a fool of myself." Lauren cried, later, on the buffet.

"It wouldn't be the first time." Caroline replied calmly, as they sat down at Julia and Dylan's table.

"I need to apologize." Lauren continued like if her friend had never said anything. "It's like, if I don't, everything I claim on him to lack of as a person, would be something I lack too. I morally need to apologize."

"So, after trying to avoid him since the first day of classes, now you want to find Darren Criss." Caroline gave a big bite to her sandwich. "I love plot twists." She added with her mouth full.

"You know, if you're interested in talking to him," Julia said, lifting her gaze from the notebook next to her plate for a little while. "Jim is throwing a Halloween party tomorrow, and I'm sure he'll be there. It's not so far from the campus, I can drive you guys."

Lauren tried to ignore Caroline's sad begging eyes. She had avoided those infamous Halloween parties for two years, why would she find them interesting now?

"We can improvise a costume." Caroline shrugged, whilst she got no answer from her friend. "Pick us up at 22."

"I'm not sure I want to do this." Lauren muttered.

"You're an actress, Lauren." Her friend said, upset. "You love dressing up and pretending to be someone else. This should be your paradise. Now, finish your sandwich." She hurried, grabbing her arm. "We got work to do!"


	4. Like what? Twilight?

**A/N: Hi. I don't know. I loved to write this chapter.**

**Reviews are my only reward for the hours of work, so thank you, and please keep them coming. Critics are totally welcome.**

**Also, if you had read my writing before you know that I drop hints of everything like from the 1st chapter. So if you like to read between lines, this chapter is interesting and keep your eyes very very open from now on! Hope you enjoy :))) - Natt**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters of the Halloween Party.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4: Like what? Twilight?<strong>

"Um." That was Darren's inevitable first impression.

It was a little overwhelming landscape for a Saturday morning. Part of the blame was on him, though, he had been so excited about his upcoming plan (Reopening Michigan's Hole as a race circuit with a gambling business) that he didn't think about the process in the middle of it.

To start, what it used to be the start of the race and where everyone gathered to watch it, a bridge; had been (apparently) used as a dump, and the amount of debris and garbage was covering almost half of it. He couldn't clean all of it, not even if he called the whole gang, despite most of them were eager to join him in that new arrangement. So he'd have to invest money on it, which was something he was trying to avoid. But he tried to rest importance to it. He'd earn it all back once he could start the races.

Darren walked back to his bike, but he grabbed his phone from the pocket of his leather jacket first. He had to text someone who knew it could be greater help for him now. As he did, he couldn't help that his mind wandered a long while back.

How long had it been since the last time they talked?

* * *

><p>"Yes, mom." Lauren said, struggling to hold the phone between her shoulder and ear, while her hands were busy attempting to sew a shirt that seemed to be way larger and harder than what she expected. "We're all good in here. And you? Ouch!" She couldn't help but to exclaim after pricking her finger with the needle. "No, I had a cramp, mom. I'm okay." She lied.<p>

"Ugh, you're useless. Give it to me." Caroline finally said, stressed, after observing her for a while, and taking the costume away from her.

Lauren sighed of relief. That had been a nightmare. She grabbed the phone with her hand now that she could, laying her back on the chair, more relaxed.

"You sure you're doing fine?" She asked, putting emphasis on this question. She knew her mom couldn't be very good. She hadn't been very good since she divorced her father, like a year ago. And even before that, she wasn't okay. She spent way too much time on her work, and despise she did was a successful lawyer; she ended up being too stressed to function in the family nor as the social housewife she was supposed to be. Lauren found her sometimes way too structured and old fashioned; but she was passionate and worked hard and that's what she knew she could learn from her. "Okay, tell me if you need anything. I love you. Bye."

She looked at Caroline, hanging up the phone. The girl finished sewing in a moment, her hands moved fast and skilled. Lauren wondered how she did it.

"So how do they look?" Lauren asked, trying to hide her excitement. She wasn't dying to go to the party, but portraying a character was an important part of her life anyway.

Caroline shrugged.

"They're okay for a one-day making." She threw it back to Lauren. She examined the black strapless blouse with a fancy sewed red A letter on the chest, the matching black short skirt, and the white kerchief. Although she chose to portrait a modern version of Hester Prynne, she wanted something that kept the essence of the original character. They were pretty adequate.

"Let me see yours."

Caroline put them over her clothes, like if she was actually wearing them, so Lauren could see the effect. It was perfect for her. A dress red as a cherry, black mountain boots, and a French beret. Not to add that her short hair (even though it was red, too) matched flawlessly. She was a replica of Amélie Poulain.

"It looks amazing, I'm upset." Lauren confessed, as her friend smiled and made a spin, making the dress move through the air.

"Don't worry." She finally said, walking to Lauren, and giving her a tickle on the back of her neck. "You'll look like a total adulteress, too."

* * *

><p>The first ten minutes after they arrived were not cool, at all.<p>

"If I have to explain once more who I am, I swear I'll explode." Caroline said, shaking her head and grabbing a beer from the nearest table.

The party was pretty crowded. Not that Lauren had gone to a million of parties, but the huge garden was full of people, including the garage, and you could spot some inside of the house too. There were lots of little groups everywhere, a sector of only Harley bikes in a corner, and a stereo with enormous speakers that gathered the majority of youths near the door of the house.

The night was calm, kinda fresh, and it was full moon.

"I knew you were French, that's a start." Julia said, shrugging. She was a classy Marilyn Monroe. And Dylan, smoking next to her, was Sherlock Holmes.

Caroline offered Lauren some of her beer, but Lauren shook her head. She grabbed a coca cola instead. She surreptitiously looked around, but she couldn't find Darren anywhere. Maybe he didn't even come.

"He'll be here, you can be sure." Julia assured, like if she had read Lauren's thoughts. "Darren doesn't miss a party, and less if it's Jim's."

She felt uncomfortable at the assumption that she was only there because of him; so she tried to shrug it off.

"Oh, it's fine."

Lauren pretended to admire the Waldo costume of a guy walking next to them, as an excuse to cut the conversation. She thought she remembered him from somewhere.

She was right, the guy was Rick. He entered into the house, taking off the matching beanie and walking to the fridge.

"You know, there's a table full of alcohol outside." Darren commented from the sofa.

"I'm hungry." Rick complained, putting a hand over his stomach. He finally found some pizza leftovers, and carefully grabbing it he walked to the sofa too.

Brian, who was now an attempt to Edward Scissorhands; and Jeff as Aladin were in there too. Brian was struggling to grab a beer with his –literal- scissors hands (they were glued to his fingers with adhesive tape), and Jeff was cruelly laughing at him.

Rick frowned when he saw Darren. Understanding his costume took him a while. His black curls were messy (messier than usual), and his gray clothes seemed dirty and were torn in some parts. Then he saw the right-angled sign at his feet that read XY390. And he got it. Sirius Black.

"That's new." He said, stealing Darren's beer.

Before Darren could reply something, the door of the house opened again. Joe and Devin, -aka Sandy and Danny from Grease, walked inside holding hands. Joe was whispering something, and Devin laughed. The sound of her laugh was as graceful as he remembered it. When Joe saw Darren, he stood still from sudden. _What? _Was he shocked to find him? Why wouldn't he be there? He saw him swallowing and thinking what to do. Devin looked just as surprised as him; and Darren thought for some reason that nobody told her he came back. He finally decided that the smartest thing was to give everyone a quick greet with his head, and still grabbing her hand he walked to the counter, on the other side of the room. Devin could only wave awkwardly, still to shocked, before follow him.

There was an awkward, long silence. The only sound was the music that came from outside piercing the walls. Even Jeff and Brian had stayed quiet.

But Brian couldn't stand it anymore.

"You wanna talk about bad ideas? I really need to pee right now." He said staring to his scissor hands. Half to break the ice, half because he was drunk.

Jeff laughed loudly, but Darren didn't.

He stood up and left the house without saying a thing. And he knew Joe was watching him.

He decided to wait near the bikes, but his phone vibrated. It was the answer of that text he sent that morning. Darren grinned. Always late; it's like if nothing changed.

He looked around, between the people, but it didn't take too long to find what he was looking for. She was wearing a leather jacket, of course; and he could tell by the fog around her that she was smoking.

"You _had_ to be that asshole without a costume that ruins everything." Darren said, pretending an exasperated but calmed voice, as he walked to her. She did so as well.

"Can't you tell I'm dressed as you? So yeah, I'm an asshole." She replied seriously, before smiling and wrapping her arms around him. "You're back, I can't believe it."

"I knew the longing was killing you." He joked.

"Ha, ha. Are you gonna tell me what happened?"

Darren grimaced. "Later. Now, we have more important things to talk about." He put an arm around her shoulder, leading her to a quieter place.

She was Rachel. Darren met her on his freshman year in college. She was actually the reason he became friends with Joe, she had gotten in the group at the same time as him. After a trimester something terrible happened though. They intended to make a prank that ended up causing a big mess, and there was conflict of interest involved if it happened to spread outside of the university, so to end the whole thing, Rachel took the responsibility completely. They expelled her. But she saved their ass. They couldn't think of a way to reward her, and she never allowed them to. She just claimed it was a matter of morals; so the best way to give it back was that they remained being who she thought they were.

They talked about everything. Darren's music video, Joe and Devin, college, and especially about how Darren was going to arrange Michigan's Hole again. Rachel, from her part, got a job as a waitress and was still performing in a theatre in Ann Arbor. She sounded wiser. She had always been smart, but she just sounded wiser now. There was a new scar on the olive skin of her arm, and her dark hair was wilder.

"By the way," Rachel said with a smirk, once they walked back to the table to grab beers. "I brought my friend Kaylee with me." She pointed at a slim brunette who was chatting and laughing loudly a few feet away. "She is very interested into, um, knowing you." The way her eyebrows raised was more than enough for him to understand.

He smiled. "You are the best." He said. He left the sign of his costume between his feet to grab a half-eaten packet of French fries, trying to decode whether they would intoxicate him or not.

Someone cleared his throat behind him; and he thought he recognized who it was, but no, it couldn't be. He turned around.

It was.

Darren raised the palm of his hands next to his head. "Hey, I'm three feet away and my hands are over my head. Keep your restraining order to yourself." He said, and it wasn't clear if he was being sarcastically cruel or just making a joke.

Lauren had seen he was near, and to be one hundred percent honest, she had to take a moment to breathe and gather courage to walk to him. But she felt it was something she needed to do.

His response almost made her snap something quickly; but she knew she shouldn't. Instead, she explained calmly.

"I need to talk to you about what happened the other night."

Rachel sneakily walked away, but none of them noticed. Darren was surprised by her request.

"Uh… Okay." He finally muttered. He wasn't expecting that. "Let's go somewhere we can talk."

Darren walked back to the place where he just was with Rachel, not so far away from the rest of the party; Lauren behind him.

"So… Is your costume some kind of statement?" He said, raising eyebrows, as he continued walking; but a grin sneaked on his lips.

"Not necessarily." Lauren replied. "I think if I tell, the whole thing loses sense." She frowned, examining his costume. "And you are like a… beggar?" He stopped walking, showing the sign. "Oh." Lauren just said first. As far as she knew all Harry Potter costumes were overused and mainstream; but this one was pretty clever. Lauren wondered why he chose it. "Is this because of what I said?"

Would it actually be possible that her accusations inspired him to do a sort of performance?

"You know, it's pretty arrogant to think everything I do is a consequence of you, Lauren." Darren said with a smirk. Was it the first time he said her name like that, so casually? And why did she notice? "Besides, if I tell it loses the sense." He finished, mocking her tone.

If Lauren gave herself the luxury of responding to that, it'd be impossible that she apologized in some point of that conversation. So she chose to ignore that.

"Mm, so. I wanted to make clear what happened the other day at class." She tried to use an honest tone so he'd know it was serious. "You didn't do anything inappropriate. I acted like a freak. I don't know what happened. But I made a scene that was totally unnecessary, and you didn't deserve to get that treatment. And to receive Cameron's lecture. It was out of place from me. I'm sorry."

Darren listened to her very cautiously. He seemed to process and think about her words for a while. Then he finally grinned slightly (So subtly that you could barely notice), and pointed at her with a finger.

"You're crazy." He said. "You projected on me this whole time. You called _me_ a psychopath, when actually it's you." He seemed very satisfied with this discovery. Lauren didn't like that prude grin on his face; but for the sake of peace, she just rolled her eyes. He let out a sigh of deadbeat, and continued, calmer, "I've been putting up this character, too. Let's agree that we'll be nice to each other from now on."

Lauren didn't know if that was a convenient long-term deal.

"Only if you accept that there can't be anything between us, and you think of some freaking context before you make a joke."

"Sounds fair." He didn't take the prude grin out of his face. "Can I put my rules, too?" He asked, and Lauren limited herself to raise an eyebrow, but Darren continued. "You can't a) Leave dramatically whenever we have a conversation, and b) You gotta actually listen to what I say."

"I do listen-"

"Respect my rules and I'll respect yours." Darren interrupted, and Lauren bit her tongue.

"Okay, Criss. It's a deal." She settled.

Darren seemed overly pleased. He made half a grin.

"Come on, I'll get you a drink." He said, while they walked back to the table.

Lauren could hear her mom's voice saying don't accept drinks from strangers in her head. Despite the last time she heard it was years ago, it kept coming back. But Darren wasn't a stranger, and she'd take only one to symbolize their peace settlement.

"So, did you choose the topic for your essay?" Darren asked, handing her a pink drink. Lauren liked the fact that he asked something about college in a party like that. It made her feel more adequate.

"Yeah, actually, I did that today. I went for Shakespearian romanticism." Lauren explained, then directed her lips to the straw.

He seemed to be momentarily jolted by that extreme overconfidence again.

"Really? So you followed my advice."

She didn't want to admit that the idea pop up in her mind since their talk at the Hard Rock Café.

"It didn't necessarily-"

"Oh, come on. Can't you just admit that it was a good idea?"

Lauren bit her cheek. "It was a good idea." She added quickly, "I plan to do a comparison with contemporary portraits of romance, like, you know, movies, Broadway plays and such."

Darren grimaced. "There aren't movies that know how to play out Shakespeare's romance without ruining it. That Romeo and Juliet version with DiCaprio what the shittiest movie of the 90s."

"It doesn't have to be obvious, you know. It can be any romantic movie." Lauren contradicted quickly. Her tongue was fast when it came to those subjects.

"Like what? Twilight?"

"You obviously haven't seen a good film in your entire life." Lauren wanted to hear what his lame response would be, but she couldn't help but to ask, "Where is the bathroom?"

"Entering, to the left, next to the stairs." Darren explained, but then warned seriously. "This conversation hasn't ended."

"Clearly," She stated, giving him the empty glass.

Lauren passed by Sandy and Danny making out when she entered to the house, so hurried that she hardly recognized them. She knocked on the door of the bathroom.

"Busy!" A male voice answered.

_Ughhhh_. She bit her lip, anxious.

"I don't think he'll go out soon, honey." A guy dressed as Aladin said, "He's literally got scissors on his hands."

Lauren cursed inwardly.

"Is there another bathroom?"

"Upstairs."

If she knew she had to climb stairs, she wouldn't have put on high heels.

"Darren?" A voice asked.

"I guess you're Kaylee."

The girl smiled. Her lips were a powerful red, and her voice, mischievous. "Listen, I'm with my girls now. But a friend of mine lives a few blocks from here, so when the party is over, why don't you give a ride over there?" The double sense of her words turned him on, and she sneaked a paper into the pocket of his leather jacket as she finished her sentence.

Darren smiled back. "You can be sure I will."

It seemed as if she wanted to add something more; but a loud babbling from the sidewalk prevented her. Darren understood it quickly, when he saw the car parked in the street. Those were Jim's parents. Jim's parents who were supposed to be away for the whole weekend. Jim's parents who didn't know about the party. Fuck.

The disaster happened fast during the next three minutes. Kaylee joined her friends and they ran to their car; and so did everyone. Some of them were disappearing running through the sidewalk or the gardens, the sound of the bikes flood the place, the most extravagant people were yelling for some reason. It was a gregarious movement.

The garden was quickly desolated, and the only movement was the garbage flying with the wind. But Darren didn't go crazy as everyone else. He'd hid in the back yard for a while, then he'd go to the address Kaylee gave him. The night wouldn't be such a waste whatsoever.

When Lauren went downstairs and heard old people's voices, she thought it was weird. The couple was busy yelling at Jim to notice her sneaking through the front door. She started to get anxious when she stepped outside, her gaze reached people disappearing from the house everywhere and through any method. But pretty much everyone was already gone.

She trotted to the sidewalk. The heels of her shoes echoed. How it all went so quiet and empty while she was in the bathroom? She looked around, and she did several times; but it was in vain.

Julia's car was gone.

Her hands were shaking a little when she took her phone out of her purse. They couldn't be gone without her, they couldn't have leaved her there alone. It didn't make sense.

The phone rang and rang, but nobody picked up. She started walking from one side of the lane to another, nervous; as she kept trying again and again for a long while.

Nothing.

She didn't even know in which direction her room was. The streets were deserted, and it didn't seem a very friendly neighborhood, starting by the fact that they didn't seem to invert a lot of money in lamp posts.

"Lauren!"

That call was so unexpected that she jumped slightly. Darren was carrying his bike next to him as he approached her through the path of the house door. He remained a few feet away, holding his bike and helmet, and that's when Lauren noticed that in her nervous walking she had moved almost to the next house.

"It seems like you need a ride." He observed, which was also an excuse to look at her. Her outfit was almost designed exclusively for her figure. And damn, he still wanted her.

"No, thanks." Lauren replied, and cleared her throat after realizing her voice came out weak. If accepting someone else's drink was dangerous, can you imagine having them giving you a ride home?

"You sure?" Darren asked, raising his eyebrows and looking at her; wondering how she would go home.

"Yes, I'm sure."

But to be honest, it wasn't his problem. If she refused to go with him, then there's nothing he could do about it. She'd figure it out by herself.

He put on his helmet and started his bike; but he didn't go yet.

Lauren called Caroline for the hundredth time, as she kept walking anxiously.

A light was coming closer, and soon she descried a car in the street driving by. Music came from inside of it. To her horror, the car stopped right in front of her.

She knew she should run the fuck out in that moment; but the panic disabled her.

"Hey, doll." The man said from the car. "Want me to drive you somewhere?"

Her jaw trembled, and she couldn't move. Her chest hurt a little.

"Want my fist on your face?" Darren yelled from his place. His voice was heard noticeably over the sound of the bike. He drove from there until the front of the car's window; between the car and Lauren. "Get lost." He added, disgusted.

The driver directed him a nasty look, but he quickly looked back to the street and drove away.

There was a silence. Lauren stared at him; she didn't know what to say. She was still pretty nervous, but what he did was… She didn't know how to describe it.

Darren took off his helmet, and looked at her.

"Lauren, don't make this harder for both of us."

It'd be absurd to say she didn't need the ride. She didn't know how else to get home. She examined Darren's bike. It was big, and loud, and dangerous.

"I'm not sure I could go on this." She admitted.

"Why? Are you scared of bikes?"

"I'm not scared of bikes. I'm scared of going at 300 mph and hitting a lamp post and die."

Darren giggled; and handed her his helmet.

"It doesn't make it up."

"Still, use it." Darren said. "The statistics say the companion is tenth times more likely to die." Lauren frowned, staring at him. "It's a joke." He added, respecting Lauren's rule; but he was still the only one to laugh.

She accepted the helmet, and finally climbed the bike, quickly as if it'd all end with this. When she put her hands around his waist, she tried to just hardly graze him; as if touching him was a sin.

Darren accelerated quickly the bike, as if they were going to go, but they didn't move forward; so the bike jumped in its place. Lauren gasped, instinctively grabbing him tighter. He did this two, three times more; until Lauren couldn't stand it. He was doing it on purpose to scare her. And it worked.

"Can you stop being a damn jerk for five minutes?" She yelled, upset, and Darren smiled, without saying a thing, as he finally started riding.

Lauren realized he wasn't the most cautious driver. Skilled, maybe, but his overconfidence was dangerous. She swallowed her desire to tell him to go slower more than one time. She could count the pulsations of her heart, but time made it easier. Part of the fear disappeared within the way; and by the end she even started to trust him a little bit.

For Darren, it was liberating. The speed, the wind shaking them faintly, the landscape around him morphing from one to another. There was always a chance of risk, but wasn't that what made it special?

Lauren sighed loudly of relief when they made it to her apartment, without hiding she was glad to be still alive.

"Congratulations, you didn't die." Darren joked, as Lauren got off the bike.

She gave him the helmet, nodding.

"Thanks for… The thing you did today." She said honestly. She couldn't still find the right words.

"That was nothing." He shook his head. "So… about those movies you said." He wet his lips. "I'd love a recommendation."

"I'll tell you something, why don't you let me get some sleep, and come back later." Lauren suggested. "For education motives. You can't go on living thinking Twilight is the only romance movie in the world."

Darren grinned.

"That sounds great."

Lauren walked slowly to the gate. She turned around, and said, raising her voice to be heard:

"Just to make sure. It's not a date."

"Clearly." He replied, putting on the helmet.

Lauren smiled.

He didn't leave until she finished climbing the stairs, observing her through the gate; and she disappeared from his sight when she got inside of her room.

Before she could go and yell to Caroline for leaving her alone, she stayed a moment by the closed door, still smiling. She felt a weird sensation in her stomach and chest. And for only a second, she wondered if Darren felt it too.


	5. Watch your step

**A/N: I apologize for the cliffhanger, it wasn't my intention, but the chapter would end up too long otherwise and I refuse to keep up with the Speak Now chapters lenght. Lol never-again. However I'll *try* to update soon.**

**IF YOU REVIEW I WILL LOVE YOU FOREVER. GIVE ME OPINIONS. CRITICS. I'LL TAKE WHAT I CAN.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 5: Watch your step<strong>

"Basically, you're saying that Darren Criss will be in our apartment at any minute. Darren Criss." Caroline repeated, and Lauren thought that if she made that statement once more, her head would explode.

Lauren directed a glance to her roommate that expressed the phrase she had previously said, and Caroline didn't say anything else.

After the last night's fiasco, she owned Lauren one. In this case, it meant no Darren Criss related questions. It still didn't balance it with abandoning her at midnight in the middle of nowhere; but she knew she'd need to use the rest later.

There was a knock on the door, followed by Caroline's enthusiastic smirk. Lauren rolled her eyes. She was finishing braiding her hair, so she said to Caroline.

"Can you open the door? And please, act like a normal person."

Caroline swallowed her cheeky comeback, and walked to the door; but her smirk didn't completely disappear.

"Hi." Caroline greeted him, offering instantly her hand. "I'm Caroline."

She looked like a pheromonic teenager; and Lauren couldn't help but to giggle quietly from her place on the couch.

"Hi, I'm-"

"Darren, I know."

She obviously couldn't help it. But instead of feeling crept out, Darren pointed at her and looked at Lauren.

"I like her." He said. It was evident he enjoyed meeting a fan.

Darren walked inside of the apartment before Caroline had the chance to invite him in.

"You do realize you're wearing the exact same clothes as last night, right?" Lauren joked instead of greeting him.

"Hey, you're funny on Sundays." Darren said, impressed, as he left his black leather jacket on the couch, next to her. "You should wear last night's outfit all the time, too."

Lauren pretended she didn't hear that. The truth is that she didn't primp herself a lot; she didn't have the intention to impress Darren or anything. So she couldn't tell if that comment was ironic.

"You know, Caroline loves your music." Lauren commented, standing up and walking to the fridge. "Or at least she says so all the time. Do you want something to drink?"

"Yeah, a soda or whatever." Darren replied, occupying the spot Lauren just left. "And for real?" He added, raising an eyebrow and looking at Caroline who was left startruck next to the door.

Life if someone snapped a finger in front of her eyes, Caroline came back from her hypnosis.

"I do. I think it's great and fun." Caroline said, and then grinned. "You know, actually, I can't get Lauren to listen to it, or even watch your video, and it's very frustrating, so you should do something to change that."

Lauren handed a can of Coke to Darren, but he didn't grab it. He devoted himself to look at her, amazed.

"You've _never_ watched it? Or listened to a song? Ever?"

The surprise on his tone was real, like if he couldn't believe there was a person that wasn't obsessed with him. Lauren shrugged. "I guess I just never came across-"

"I'll have to play for you sometime, then." Darren interrupted, and the proud grin made appearance once more.

"I'm sure she'd love that." Caroline added quickly. Lauren, upset about that dialogue, threw the Coke to Darren's chest, who caught it swiftly. "So… I'm going to Nick's room. I'm helping him to study." She explained, grabbing her books from the table.

"You really don't need to go, it's just-" Lauren stuttered, but Caroline wasn't listening.

"Enjoy the movie." Caroline said before closing the door and giving a brief wink that probably only Lauren noticed. It upset her. Why did she have to make it something so much bigger than what it was? And Darren's prideful attitude wasn't helping. She started wondering if that wasn't more than a mistake.

"So, what is your marvelous first lesson?" Darren asked, opening the can with a low click.

Lauren had already chosen _The Wedding Singer_ from the tall pile of movies above her wardrobe. She grabbed the record from the table, and walked to the TV, in front of the couch. While she was putting the DVD on, she explained:

"As your experience is null in this subject, I picked something sorta light-hearted and platitudinous. Something you can handle."

"Please, tell me it's not a romantic comedy." Darren said, shaking his head.

Lauren didn't answer because that'd mean to prove him right.

"It's starring Adam Slander and Drew Barrymore." She said as she hit play, and walked back to the couch.

"Adam Slander." Darren just repeated in disapproval.

"Give him a shot!" Lauren complained. "This is before he started working on bad American stylish comedies."

He tried to add something, but Lauren would shush him every time since the movie started; so he had no option but to pay one hundred percent of attention to it.

Quick résumé: Adam Slander is a frustrated rock star that got humiliatingly dumped in the altar by his girlfriend. He meets Drew Barrymore while she worked as a waitress in a wedding he was performing at, and she makes him help her with her wedding to overcome his depression. Ninety movie-minutes later, he realizes he loves her and flies to Las Vegas to confess, finding out she's in the same plane as him. Then he gathers the courage to surprise her and he sings a –according to Darren- super cheesy song in front of all the passengers. That was the scene in which Darren couldn't keep his mouth shut anymore. It was all pretty lame. Adam Slander's haircut was awful, even for the 90s; and that scene was a little-too-much of everything. If he was honest he'd say he barely enjoyed the movie overall.

So the phrase came casual from his tongue, looking at Lauren who was on the other side of the couch, kind of away from him. "Do you seriously like this-?"

But he cut his words off quickly. Lauren didn't even realize he was talking or looking at her. She was hugging her legs, her chin rested on his knees, and staring at the TV as if she was overly immersed in the film. Her eyes were watery; a tear could slip from them at any minute. The song _Grow old with you_ played as a background, distant from the television, and even Slander's amateur voice seemed to fit. And Darren realized, if the film touched her like that- there had to be something that made it good.

He kept watching the rest as if he hadn't said anything. He also pretended he didn't see Lauren cleaning a tear from her cheek before going to take the DVD.

"So?" Lauren asked, excited, looking at him.

"It was good… and fun…" Darren lied, shifting on the couch, suddenly uncomfortable. "The ending was very… okay."

Lauren rolled her eyes.

"You don't have to do that. You hated it, it's fine." Lauren said, although her tone was suspiciously loud and she had walked to the table. "Now, it's not to kick you out or anything, but I gotta study."

Darren stood up. "Wait, I just need more… knowledge before forming an opinion." He walked next to Lauren, who was assorting her notes. He put a hand over the papers to stop her and have her attention. "Next Sunday? For real this time."

His voice always had that tone of defiance that lured her.

"Okay, next Sunday." She agreed. "But I actually gotta study right now."

She was kicking him out, yes; but they just spent two hours without yelling at each other, which was a notable progress.

"Give me your number." He tried to be casual, but Lauren's expression turned suspicious. "I just want to make sure you won't escape the next week." He added quickly.

She hesitated for a few seconds before cutting a little piece of paper at the bottom of the note, and wrote her number on it. She promised to herself to never give the pleasure to Caroline of knowing she did that.

"Don't pass it around." Lauren warned. His friends were nobody she could trust, and if that paper ended up in the wrong hands, it could turn into a mess she didn't want.

Darren grabbed his jacket, hanging it from his shoulder. When he said goodbye, she replied turning back to look at him; this was a cue Darren couldn't ignore.

She didn't fall into the hidden tramp yet, she was merely testing out the territory and see if she could take a tiny step into it.

And following the same rules, one step can be deadly.

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><p>A rain of sweat was covering his body, although he didn't stop until the numbness of certain muscles disabled him from continuing. Wreathed by the satisfying sensation of tiredness after an intense work out, he walked to the lavatory. First he slowly cracked his neck, and put his hand on the place where his scapula met his spine, pressing with his fingertips the sore muscles. He splashed a little of water on his face and hair, and then drank his bottle of water entirely in one sitting.<p>

Darren heard Jim's voice counting numbers over one hundred, which meant there was a push up battle going on. He passed by the room in the exact moment in which Brian's arms failed to hold him one more time, and he hit his chest against the floor. Jim, who was playing the role of a referee, grabbed Joe's hand and raised it in the air, symbolically proclaiming him as the winner. It was no surprise, Brian always lost. The small crowd cheered to Joe, and he grabbed the few bills from the floor, which was his ridiculously tiny prize.

Darren almost felt pity of him for a moment. He was trying to get money for a new bike.

But that moment of vulnerability certainly didn't last long. He'd give the bike back to him, eventually. Joe just had to wait until he could get Lauren to sleep with him, and then everything would be balanced again. It was just a backup to avoid he had everything under his control.

There was nothing to worry about. He had Lauren's number, meanwhile Joe? He hadn't even talked with her. He knew Joe could need only one night to achieve its goal; but that wouldn't work with Lauren.

Darren hung his hand towel from his shoulder and walked out of the gym. First, the fresh wind from outside kind of froze him, but he ignored it. But after giving a few steps to get his bike, a voice called him:

"Hey, Darren."

If she hadn't talked, Darren would've never noticed she was sitting on a bench outside, waiting.

"Devin. Hi." He said, surprised, suddenly stopping walking.

"It's weird seeing you around here again." Devin commented, with her shy, tuneful voice. The wind whipped her hair and her flowered dress, lifting it and showing the pale skin of her thin legs. "I'm glad you're back, though."

"I'm still catching up." Darren said, sending a subtle message.

"Oh. Right." Devin's charismatic smile faded slowly. "Joe didn't tell me you came back. I didn't know until I saw you at Jim's party." She added, excusing the fact she had never talked with him or bothered to inform him that she started dating his old best friend.

Darren didn't buy it. Even if Joe didn't tell her, she would've had to hear something. He ran the towel through his still sweaty face, and deciding his silence was clear enough.

"I've missed you." She finally added, as if that phrase was a breath she held for a long while. The evening was so quiet, it made her voice sound sweeter.

Darren raised his face from the towel when he heard that. Devin looked a bit dreary, her eyes were shining, and he hated it because it made her look prettier.

He sighed, probably louder than what he should've allowed himself.

"Me too. I've been thinking about you a lot lately." He rested his hand on the bench, leaning a bit closer to her. Just a bit, barely visible for the human eye.

"We used to be great together." He couldn't think straight if she used that tone of voice. He made an effort, but he just couldn't. "Joe is great, but it's not the same." She looked at him, bitter, and Darren wished he could just shake that look off her face.

Then he realized she was probably waiting for Joe when he walked out, and suddenly that didn't feel right anymore.

He glanced at the gym, and he saw through the window how Joe was staring directly back at them. There was no way he could hear them, but he didn't look happy at all.

It seemed as if Devin wanted to keep talking, but that wouldn't be smart. Besides, Darren was in no way going to hear her complaining about Joe. No fucking way.

"See you later, Devin." He just said, walking to his motorbike. The girl seemed a bit shocked that he was leaving just like that, but she didn't say anything else.

While he was riding away, he observed through the rearview mirror how Joe kissed Devin, and he snorted. And he wondered if Devin's sadness was genuine or just part of their little game.

* * *

><p>The next Sunday, it was When Harry met Sally. Unfortunately for Darren, there wasn't much progress from the last weekend: Lauren shushed him every time he talked, almost cried at some point and his opinion by the end was vague and brief. Darren had to admit that this time her choice of film was truly good and funny; but it felt like a waste of time when it finished and she grabbed her tall pile of notes and books again. <em>Was she serious?<em>

The killer glance she gave him meant she was.

"Fine. I have plans whatsoever." Darren said rolling his eyes.

"Great. I won't ruin them." Lauren wet her lips, sitting down at the table. "Next Sunday?"

Darren smiled from the door. "See you then."

Caroline arrived thirty minutes after her study session finished. She insisted in leaving them alone, despite Lauren said a billion times that Darren wasn't even her friend, and she wouldn't be a third wheel or anything.

"I got a lost phone call from your mom, Lauren." The red-haired informed, walking in the room and leaving her purse on the table, next to her Hamlet copy. "Has she called you?"

Lauren doubted before replying. Then she remembered her phone went out of battery at midday and she forgot to charge it. It was late at night now. She hurried to look for the battery charger, and as soon as the phone turned on, a dozen of lost calls showed up in the screen.

She bit her lip, nervous. Her mom lived all by herself and was the most independent woman she met, so if she needed to contact her at all costs, it was a big deal. Caroline realized this too, so she observed in silence how her friend dialed the number and waited.

"Hi, mom. I just got your calls. Sorry. Is everything okay?"

The woman snorted, "It was, until I decided to get somewhat related to your father." She seemed to notice how badly her words sounded, because she changed her tone as she continued. "Listen, they called me from a hospital today, and said your father had a heart attack. Apparently my number is still on his emergency list, so they contacted me. It seems nobody else is going to show up, so I'm arriving to Detroit now. I called you in the case you wanted me to pick you up, but as you didn't answer…"

"You should've stopped here anyway!" Lauren complained. Her heart was beating fast. Why didn't she charge her phone earlier? Why was that happening today? Why was she so stupid? "How is he? Do you know something?"

"I'm sorry, darling. I don't know." She answered, concerned. "I'll tell you something when I get in the hospital."

"No." Lauren replied, upset. "I want to be there myself. I'll call a taxi and I'll see you there." Lauren made a sign with her eyebrows to Caroline, and she started dialing the taxi station in her phone. "Bye."

She grabbed a purse and got her keys and wallet, quickly; trying to stop the thoughts in her mind. Her grandfather had died from a heart attack; and she remembered it vividly. It surprised her how easily she could replace the image of the old man by her father. The concern was making it hard to breathe, but she fought those sensations and tried to push them aside.

Caroline hung up, and looked at Lauren shaking her head.

"They said they're 40 minutes late." She tried to use a calm tone, but this didn't make it up.

Forty minutes waiting the taxi and forty minutes all the way to Detroit was definitely too much. She had to make it there the sooner she could. She couldn't stand that terrifying picture in her mind for so long. Lauren sighed, and her breathe came out choppy. She didn't want to affront the solution she had in mind, but she couldn't think of another thing, and Caroline, looking at her with a worried face, apparently couldn't either.

She tried to get herself together; knowing that she couldn't cry in the situation she was going to put herself into.

"Caroline, remember how I said you owed me one?" Lauren asked. Caroline nodded, confused; "Can you get me Darren Criss' address?"


	6. Oh, no

**A/N: It's happening.**

**Not my best chapter. Still, thoughts?**

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><p><strong>Chapter 6: Oh, no<strong>

Joe pushed one more pile of coins into the center of the table. His eyes were shining.

"For my bike," He explained jokingly, and the smoke of the cigarette came out when he opened his mouth.

Jeff started telling a story about how he nailed this girl at Jim's Halloween party, and Darren seized the opportunity when everyone else was focused on another conversation. He made his move and said to Joe:

"About the other day, at the gym. Devin was just asking me how I was doing, that's all. I'm not going to make a move on her." A part of him wanted to add _that's what sets us apart,_ but that explanation sounded flawlessly honest and kind, just as he meant it, so he didn't ruin it.

Joe looked at him, squeezing his eyes a little bit; but then he shrugged that look off, as if he remembered that it was just Darren.

"I think she's gonna break up with me." He replied lowly. The bitterness in his voice shocked Darren, and he stuttered a little bit trying to respond.

"W-why do you say?"

One of the corners of his lips bent down; and he just shook his head. His fingers ran slowly through the outline of his glass of beer.

"I just know it." Joe looked at Darren. "We both had been very dramatic lately, I guess."

His vague explanations weren't enough for him. He wondered if he was the reason they were struggling, and if that's why Joe was concerned about them talking, and why Devin wanted to speak to him. And suddenly, he just wanted to say something that could comfort him; he looked genuinely sad. Yes, he did was mad at him, (He made a dick move, and he wouldn't just ignore it) but that didn't mean he wanted him to feel like a piece of shit all the time. He just wanted him to learn a lesson, and to have fun, that was all.

He didn't want them to break up. It couldn't take forever to get over Devin. Besides, he had a new goal in the horizon.

But none pertinent words came to his head; and as he was struggling to get something out of his tongue, there was a knock on the door. _Thank God_. He didn't even think of how strange was that someone would show up that late at night.

"I gotta get that." Darren said, standing up and leaving the poker game for a moment.

When he opened the door, he suddenly grabbed the doorknob tighter; he couldn't help it, he wasn't expecting that. So he couldn't disguise the surprise on his tone, neither.

"Lauren?" He cleared his throat. "What are you doing here?"

Her eyes were red; like if she had been crying a while ago, but she wasn't anymore. She wasn't wearing the same clothes as earlier, she had jeans, a tank top and a light jacket, a purse hang from her shoulder and her hair was a bit messy. He could describe her usually as a calm person, but he could tell she wasn't calm at all then.

"I need your help." She said with a thin voice, and then cleared her throat as Darren did before.

"Darren, it's your turn!" Brian's voice said from inside the room.

Darren's apartment was 20 minutes away from the campus, and Caroline had accompanied her the way there, but she limited herself to wait outside of the building.

"You have visits." Lauren sentenced, like if he didn't know it. "I'll just get a taxi." She added quickly.

Darren hadn't seen her so desperate before. "Wait," He asked, closing the door behind him, so they had privacy from his friends, in the hall. "Whatever it is, you can tell me."

He tried to look in her eyes, but she was very anxious and couldn't meet her gaze.

"I need to go to Detroit." She explained; the concern was obvious. "My dad is in the hospital, and I need to see him."

Darren shrugged.

"I'll take you there. It's not an issue."

"Are you sure?" Lauren was hoping for that offer, however when he said it she thought there was something wrong with it.

"Sure. Let me get my keys."

Lauren bit her lip while he disappeared behind the door. Was seeing her father worth the risk? She didn't even know the guy so well. He could still be a sociopath or something. She had enough signs to consider him dangerous. Sometimes she had a bad vibe about him- she had a bad vibe about everything, whatsoever, but he didn't kidnap her the last time he had the chance, so she decided to give him a shot.

Inside of the apartment, Darren grabbed the helmet, phone and keys; but when he announced he was leaving, the hustle stopped him.

"You're leaving the game?!" Brian had never seemed more insulted. Even Joe was surprised. "Why?"

It'd be a great opportunity to brag about how ahead he was from Joe; but he didn't seize it. Maybe it was due the guilt caused by his friend's sorrow, maybe it was something else. But he replied with a simple _"somewhere, close the door when you leave"_.

"Are you sure about this?" Lauren asked once more, while they walked outside again.

"A forty minute ride with a hot girl holding my waist. Let me think…" He joked. He looked at her with a grin, expecting her to laugh; but she didn't. She still had that desperate expression on her face.

Caroline was waiting on the sidewalk, walking nervously and biting her thumb. She looked relieved when she saw Darren was coming with her.

"Text me when you get there, if you can find where to charge your phone." Caroline said to her friend while Darren was getting the bike out of the garage.

Lauren only nodded, and Caroline gave her a hug.

"It'll be okay. Be strong." She added, and Lauren tried to smile, walking to the street where Darren had started the bike.

Lauren stayed a moment there, standing up, next to the bike.

"You won't do that jump thing again, right?" The question was funny, but she was being serious.

Darren held a laugh as he shook his head, "Don't worry."

Lauren waved to Caroline when they got to the end of the street. She refused to wear the helmet this time- the only thought of something that wasn't the wind against her face would suffocate her. So Darren hung it from the handlebars, deciding it wasn't fair to wear it either.

They were silent until they were on the road. Darren speeded up, taking advantage of the calmer path and security restriction, and Lauren closed her eyes and her grip got slightly tighter, just a little, but enough for him to realize.

"Are you okay?"

Lauren's reply wasn't immediate.

"Yes."

"What happened to your dad?" He didn't know whether the question would be for worse or better, but she answered comfortably.

"He had a heart attack. It's very common in my family."

"Are you very close to him?"

Lauren's eyes were following the trees at the sides of the pavement.

"I used to, when I was littler. He and my mom got divorced a few years ago, and it hasn't been the same since then. But I love him, and I care a lot about him."

The certainty and simplicity with that confession was surprising to him; probably because his situation was very different. He couldn't help but to try to compare his bond with his parents to others all the time; and it upset him, because he could never say something like that with such ease.

"Do you go to Detroit often?" Lauren was the one who made a question this time.

"Not really. I guess I just know all the trails because I enjoy taking road trips."

Lauren couldn't imagine what he found enjoyable; after twenty minutes her butt hurt and she felt she needed to change her position or her bones would never move again.

Like if he could see her judgmental expression, he proceeded to explain:

"It started out of necessity, but it wasn't long until it became a hobby. It's good for the mind, taking a journey alone, sometimes, you know?"

"I guess so." Lauren replied, mainly because she felt she should try to sound understandable. He was making a big favor to her. She had never experienced riding a motorbike, whatsoever. She hadn't needed to learn that before.

She remembered rejecting the offer of her mom buying her a car when she started college, and decided to use that money to rent a place in the campus. She still thought she took the right choice.

"If you feel tired, you can rest on my back." Darren said after a moment. "And cross your hands over my tummy, and stuff. I really wouldn't mind."

Lauren snorted a laugh. "Charming." She replied sarcastically, "But no, thanks."

A part of him hoped she'd might take the proposition seriously; but at least she laughed, and that was something.

Darren realized that the anxiety returned again when finished locking his motorbike with a shackle, and had to run to catch Lauren at the entrance of the hospital. She asked to the receptionist about her father, and then she said he was in the third floor in the room 447. The elevator seemed to notice their hurry and moved terribly slow. Darren didn't know whether to comment on Lauren's feet tapping the floor repeatedly or how she kept passing her fingers through her hair. He chose to keep his mouth shut.

Lauren's mom was a refined, imposing woman. She was taller than Lauren, her brunette hair was short and perfectly straightened, and she looked like if she just got out of the White House and somebody put her in a hospital without considering she wouldn't fit in.

Darren waited across the hall while Lauren walked to this impressive woman; when it hit him. It was an obviousness, nonetheless it surprised him- Lauren had money. This thought had never crossed his mind because she was studying acting, an occupation not proper to this status; and because she had never came across as that kind of vain person, or was he just simply too blind by his crush to realize? But it was clear now, seeing her standing next to this successful woman with designer clothing and a chin aiming higher than her neck. He breathed, feeling an abrupt discomfort, wondering if it would be okay to go outside and smoke a cigar.

"Your father needs to understand that I can't do these things anymore." The woman said, exhausted, before Lauren had the chance to properly meet her. Then she added, quickly, "I'm sorry. How are you, darling?"

She gave her a hug, but Lauren cut it quickly. She felt too nervous for that.

"How is he? Do you know something?"

"He got in the hospital too late and they had to do a bypass surgery." Lauren felt something was pressing her chest after hearing this. She was late, too. "The doctor said they expect him to be okay. But he didn't wake up yet." She glanced at the phone on her hand. "I gotta go back to Ann Arbor, I have work. It's the Perkins' case again. But they need someone to stay here until he is conscious."

She sighed, and Lauren had the impression she was waiting for her to say something.

"Um, I can stay tonight. You can go to work."

"All by yourself?"

"I'm with a friend." Lauren pointed at Darren, and he looked so suddenly uncomfortable that she regretted doing so. "Go, it's fine."

She didn't seem very convinced, but she finally agreed.

"Don't tell him I was here." She said, and gave Lauren another hug- although she didn't want this one either. Those words didn't need an explanation; just another proof that they were still purposive to completely ignore each other.

While her figure disappeared at the end of the hall, Lauren breathed in and out. She walked to the door of the room 447 and placed her hand on the doorknob, without the courage to push it. She knew there was nothing out of this world inside, just his dad laying on a bed and a machine counting the beating of his heart. She couldn't determine why it was so hard for her; and why she needed to see it with her own eyes and make sure he was okay.

It wasn't a good idea. And when she did it, when she saw him, it didn't make her feel better, and instead of feeling relieved she wanted to cry. She thought that he'd probably join her grandfather and predecessors by dying before turning 70, and the place where her imagination was trying to drag her was depressing.

The ache on her chest reached her throat; and she couldn't get herself together enough to remember that she should remain calm. She pressed her fingers against her forehead and closed eyes, but this couldn't bring her back to the ground. She needed to get out of there.

"Are you okay?" Darren's voice from the door surprised her, even though it sounded gentle and quiet.

She only nodded, her fingers now pressed against the low part of her neck, where they met her collarbone. She was aware that if she tried to talk, it'd all come out; like if someone kept blowing up a balloon at the edge of bursting out.

Darren couldn't move when Lauren passed by him and walked a few steps away from the room. She stopped there, pressed a hand onto her mouth and broke down, right there in front of his eyes. Her sobs were barely audible, but the way her body convulsed and how the tears slipped through her cheeks gave her away.

_Shit_, he thought. He didn't know what to do. A twinge of pain infringed his thorax from seeing her that way. Whether how she felt she always managed to keep herself together, but she had reached her breaking point. They weren't really close, and he didn't know how to act or how she'd react.

He looked away for only second, wetting his lips. _Fuck it_, he was going for it.

Darren gave those two steps between them, wrapped his arms around her back and softly pulled her closer to him. He almost sighed of relief when Lauren rested her forehead on his shoulder. She cried a little while more, but the sobs shook her less between his arms. He slowly caressed her back with his fingers, and only for a very short moment allowed himself to enjoy her proximity regardless of the situation.

It took her a while to catch her breath again. Then she pulled away, and avoided his eyes as she walked to a seat.

She told him to go, and he refused. She warned that her mood wouldn't get better, and he said he was used to it. Lauren didn't know what to respond to that.

He walked outside to smoke a cigarette at some point. Lauren bought two cups of coffee, which didn't stop her from falling asleep during a moment. Darren put on his headphones, taking the seat next to her, and before he could tell he fell asleep too.

Lauren's dad didn't wake up until almost 5am. Lauren was inside of the room for more than an hour; but when she walked out she was smiling. Her hair was a mess, and the dark circles under her eyes were terrible.

"Everything in order." She announced, holding a thumb up. "He just gave me the number of his girlfriend, and she's on her way, so we can go."

"Great." He said, standing up and making his bones crack. His body was a little sore thanks to the uncomfortable seat of the hospital.

During the ride home, the sky was pink and the smell of the dew relaxed them. Lauren could actually start to enjoy it then. She wouldn't magically turn into a speed lover- but there was something about the way the wind hit her face and her arms around Darren's waist.

When they stopped to buy gasoline, Lauren fought to pay it. Darren pulled her hand away.

"No, no." He said shaking head, standing ahead her to hand the bills to the employee.

"It's the fair thing. Seriously, Darren, I can-"

"I said no." He cut it out dryly.

Lauren would've replied something if the tiredness wasn't taking over her; so she just sighed and let him pay and they were silent the rest of the trip.

It was the morning already when he stopped at her place.

"Just in time for my class with my favorite, Mr. Hannigan." Lauren said rolling her eyes, getting off the bike.

"You had a hard night. Take the morning off and sleep." Darren suggested.

"I might do." She normally wouldn't agree, but her eyelids were heavy and she felt worryingly tired.

"I'll join you, just so you won't be the one with one attendance less." He winked.

"How thoughtful." Lauren faked surprise, and then added with serenity, "Thank you for tonight."

"At your service." He took a breath, trying to use the same gravity on his voice, but knowing he couldn't make it. "Will you be okay? You know you can call me if you need to talk, right?"

Lauren smiled, and nodded shortly. It was probably the first time she heard him saying something that nice. And it hit her that after that night, it would be hypocrite from her part to keep avoiding it: Darren was her friend.

She leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek, and then turned back to climb the stairs of the building.

_Shit_, he thought again, and he didn't know if that curse came from a place of joy or humiliation.

He cared about that girl; and it wasn't because of a bet, or a bike, or because he wanted to sleep with her.


End file.
